Hyperemesis Support

[LucindaE]

We need a new thread.

I hope everyone suffering from the Horrors of Hyperemesis will find this thread useful as a source of support and information.

There's no TMI on here - can't be by definition - and nobody should feel ashamed of moaning as much as they feel the need to.

I used to include extracts from MOH's wonderful website
sites.google.com/site/pregnancysicknesssos/
but I think that makes this link less visible so am merely putting the link. The information on this site is invaluable.

I would like to thank MOH MOP Ovaltine Caramellokoalalover (I think she's changed her nickname) Fluffy, Horsey Kali and Everyone who has given such invaluable support and advice on previous threads.

Remember when you are at your worst, 'This Too Shall Pass'. It really will.

Hello everyone

washngo sastra pineapple don't feel bad about moaning that's what the thread is for!! I can't offer much consolation other than knowing exactly how you feel. Here is the link to the website I was talking about in my last post that has a downloadable pamphlet for relatives

beyondmorningsickness.com

Some of you may have seen it already. I just noticed she has written a children's book too. I have read her book and whilst it made me feel good to read about people who have gone through similar things to me (when I hadn't found this thread and thought I was the only one!) it also made me incredibly sad as so many of the women's stories have sad endings. However made DH read the chapter on helping someone with HG and was very helpful to both of us.

emandlou thank goodness your test was negative. I have felt exactly the same at various times over the last 4 years - every time I was nauseous for whatever reason the terror of possibly being pregnant descended. Even having plucked up courage and meaning to be pregnant I have to say I have had very ambivalent feelings all the way through this pregnancy so far.

I am feeling pretty crappy today. Just arrived home in the US yesterday and a combination of a wedding, 4 days at MIL's house and transatlantic flight have left me feeling exhausted and SICK obviously. Very worried about coping once DH goes back to work in a few days. Couldn't even contemplate cooking this eve - just opening the fridge still has me wretching. Guess DD will have to wait a little longer for any home cooked food - sent DH out to buy something. Ugh.

"Sastra* There's no way you are a fraud because you're not being sick sixty times a day - my godness, my experiment three weeks ago or so showed you can get 3+ ketones in under twelve hours being sick eight times, despite sipping water, it wasn't serious for me, as I'm not pregnant, but if I had been it would have been a medical emergency.
Tay Congratluations on getting home, how brave of you to undergo a transatlantic flight. No wonder you feel awful today, hugs,don't force yourself to cook. Thanks for link.
Washngo Glad you are feeling a bit happier today. Of course, what everyone really needs is to feel blooming.
Pinapple Oh poor, poor you. puking back and SPD too, are Hyperemesis and SPD connected as a number of women seem to get them both? Who wouldn't moan?
The Puking Demonstration at the School Gates sounds like a good idea, oh dear...
to all. Hope everyone is coping. Waves to MOH. Apologies to anyone I've rudely overlooked.
Lucinda
xx

Hello again,
Well today on the hg roller coaster it's been a definite downward slide. I was sick all morning. Feel v sick still. I have been asleep since 12. Can't keep eyes open. Thank goodness it's the weekend but properly dreading the week when I'll have 2 dcs and no help. 9 weeks plus 3 today. Please let this get better at 12 weeks! Today I told my midwife that in my first preg it got better at 13 wks, second at 18 wks. She said "ok so obviously it'll be longer again this time". Is this true??? Please say no :(

WashngoOh you poor thing. I think you should ask for something different from the GP, an addition perhaps, as you must be being weakened by this. Not sure whiich you are on, sorry to be so forgetful: I wish I could say for sure that it won't last longer this time, but it just seems to vary, I don't think the pattern the midwife describes as getting longer each time is inevitable at all, because it jsut seems to vary for people with each pregnancy. Some suffer dreadfully in one pregnancy and nothing like as badly in the next. For sure the first tri is almost always the worst. I know it's so hard in the early stages. Sending you hugs.
Kali and Everyone, how are you?
Lucinda
xx

Urghh, been really sick for the past few days
So fed up of it, even tempted to scrap the whole home birth plan & beg for a cs at 37 weeks. Tell me I can get through the last 5 weeks!

Oh Plastic you poor thing! If you are really suffering you might be best to opt for a sooner option, but don't rush into a decision and don't be pressured by what anyone else says. I'm sure you can do it, but I don't have to so that's easy for me to say! Take care, do you have a supportive midwife you could talk to? Washngo I'm so impressed you are trying again for a third time, I think you are incredibly brave, I hope your rollercoaster becomes more of a gentle steam train journey through scenic countryside very soon! Love to all. xx

Littleplastic you CAN do it! I know it seems like forever but 5 weeks now is nothing compared to how far you have already come. We're all here for you and will support you all the way!

Everyone else hugs - sorry I haven't been on here much over the last week or so - have been reading on my phone but not able to reply. I'm surviving. Desperately tired and really struggling with increasing nausea, although still being on the ondansetron and cyclizine combo seems to be stopping me from actually vomiting still, thankfully. Hips and back are bad but just pottering through life as much as possible and focussing on the fact that I'll be 30 weeks on Friday so nearly 3/4 of the way there...

Plastic You poor poor thing and hugs from me, too. Of course you can do it, you've proved yourself a heroine already, but if you've really reached the end of your tether, let the medical people know. Have the meds just stopped working? I know the puking never really went away properly, it sounds like it has got a lot worse.
Barmee Oh no and poor you too, that nausea really gets you down. Hugs to you if required, too.
How are Kali and Everyone@
Lucinda
xx

Did anyone else manage to stay up late enough to see Harry's Mountain Heroes on ITV1 last night? One of the young soldiers was talking about the difficulties of adjusting to life at altitude and what he said really struck a chord with me. What he said was "Altitude makes the simplest tasks unbearable. The unbearable soon becomes routine". Replace "altitude" with hyperemesis (or even just pregnancy for many of us) and it all seems strangely familiar. Thinking of all of you and hope today hasn't been too unbearable.

hello

I was at the docs yesterday and have been given ondansetron on top of the phenergan. Seems to be working well so far ......I even feel (dare I say it? ) a little bit normal today??? I know it may not last forever. What are others' experiences of this drug?

12 week scan tomorrow so I've got my fingers crossed for a healthy baby despite mother on her last legs

Hope everyone is ok today.

Tay - hope the scan goes well today, well done you have got to the magical 12 week mark, maybe sickness will start to subside for you. I hope so! I've never had ondansetron but have heard lots of people say it was great for them and the only thing that really worked. Hopefully it will work well for you too!

Hi all, hope you are all having a vom free day. Just been to midwife 31+2 today and am still measuring big and have +++of glucose in wee, so off to see consultant on Fri to see whether I need another GTT or a scan to measure baby. Either way I'm sort of hoping that this might mean baby comes early. Anyone have experience of having a bigish baby-what did they do? Induce or c section at 38 weeks? I know everyone is different but just wondering what might happen. Thanks. Love to all. xx

Thanks all for the support, things are still pretty grim at the moment. I have basically relapsed to being sick several times a day, but have the added excitement of dizziness and light headedness. My iron is low as is my blood pressure. Anyway, the outcome of this is that I've ended up back on ondansetron! I will take it until 38 weeks but then stop for the last couple of weeks so that I'm not constipated for the birth.

tay my experience of ondansetron in the first trimester was that it was the only med that enabled me to function a bit more normally. The vomiting ws reduced but I was still nauseous. Watch out for the constipation though, it's pretty bad!

Hi everyone
My first ever post, but this is the third time- third HG pregnancy, I have lay reading about everyone and their experiences of hyperemesis, you are all such troopers, I am only 7&5 so I'm going through the worst of it now, just out of hospital for the first time I know il be back in the next 2 weeks hopefully only once more before the bad vomiting passes (who am I kidding) I don't know how you look after your kids & suffer I can't even sit up, I have a 2yr old & 1yr old everyone but me is looking after them I feel so guilty. The only thing keeps me going is knowing that this is the last time! This too shall pass, this too shall pass, this too shall pass.

Wdobbs you are a super hero! Well, I think that you are very brave . Good luck and keep strong. x

wdobbs well done you braving it for a 3rd time!! If it makes you feel any better at all - today at 13+5 is the first day I will have independently looked after DD1 (3) since 4+0 and even then DH is only going to work at 4pm so I only have a few hours to brave on my own!! Don't feel bad - the kids are much more adaptable and resilient than we ever give them credit for and feeling guilty only makes you feel sicker. Look after yourself thats a hard enough job as it is

plastic thanks for the info.

goldie my DD1 was 9.5 pounds but I measured exactly right all along (v uncomfortable though!!) so I had no idea she was going to be that size. Me and midwives expecting a 7 pounder. Anyway I am not that big and she got well and truly stuck ending with c-section so will have a planned c-section this time. Personally as I dont have my heart set on a natural birth I would prefer not to risk damage down below esp. as I already have a section scar anyway.

washngo thanks for the good wishes. All fine apart from extremely wriggly baby resulting in v long scan!! I'm actually 13+5 and feel like I'm starting to turn a corner sickness wise. Hope you are doing ok and the end of the HG comes sooner than you expect x

Hello hyperemesis ladies. I used to be on this thread up until I had my dd in april. I had horrific hg and was hospitalised twice and spent the whole pregnancy on ondanestron and cyclizine max doses. Even then it was only kind of under control. I had hg the whole of the pregnancy and in labour. I ended up 16 days overdue just to drag it out that bit longer. Anyways, I do check the thread every now and again and just wanted to say you will not believe how much better you feel once you've had your babies. Honestly you will feel like a new person. I ended up with a 41 hour labour and a crash section but it wasn't half as bad as hg hell! Good luck and hold tight. It will be the best thing ever. X

OH has hogged the PC for two days sorting out financial stuff...
Feekerry Thanks so much for coming back on to encourage others, I remember you well. You did suffer horribly, and now it's a past nightmare for you.
Wdobbs Welcome, you are some heroine as others say, third time, my goodness. You know better than me that you are at the worst stage now. I do hope you avoid being rehospitalised so soon. I'm glad you are finding that mantra helpful. Everyone on here is very supportive.
Tay I do hope you have turned the corner, how was the scan?
Plastic Poor you, so sensible to go back on it, you were suffering badly. It's not fair it causes such awful bowel problems.
Pinapple I didn't see that programme myself, but what you say makes so much sense.
Goldie I do hope all is OK? How did the tests go?
Wasngo Third HYperemessis pregnancy and never been on Ondansteron seems to equal a rather blase doctor - or am I doing him/her an injustice?
Kali has been very quiet of late, I am a bit worried, but don't want to harrass her.
I wonder if MrsD of the twins is around and how she is?
Hope Everyone is coping.
Lucinda
xx

Thanks Lucinda how kind of you to worry about me! I am OK, but my mood has been very low and I am struggling to walk because of the problems with my back and pelvis. I'm seeing an osteopath and a massage therapist as well as an NHS physio so I think I'm doing everything I can. Just a bit depressing that this pregnancy seems so determined to be miserable at every stage! And I still have three months to go. Sickness is finally better though, it's just nausea now, haven't thrown up for a couple of weeks.

Apparently prolonged bed rest does make you more likely to have the joint problems later on, and I was completely confined to bed for three months so I guess that's probably why.

Hope everyone else is doing OK.

Kali Thanks for getting n touch, I am relieved to hear from you, but sorry that nature isn't letting you enjoy the pregnancy at all, it's not fair. I didn't know that about bed rest, I suppose it makes sense that's why there's a connection between severe Hyperemesis and SPD? I;m glad the puking hasn't returned, one good thing, but constant nausea is dismal. At least hopefully, no danger of hospitalisation these days...
How is Everyone?
Lucinda
xx

Hello everyone, I found this thread again by accident but thought I would leave a message of support, my DD is now 13 months and I had HG throughout the pregnancy, I don't think I ever posted on this thread but I used to read it to cheer me up/on. Well done LucindaE you are a fantastic for keeping everyone going! And well done all of you ladies, it is indescribably awful and no one understands, if one more person suggests a ginger biscuit you want to kill them... I was even throwing up throughout the labour but once DD was born the sickness went away instantly, it is amazing how much better you feel and how quickly. I fell on the strange brown hospital food they gave me afterwards like a ravenous beast, assuring my DH that it was delicious, the best thing ever, oh my god, I still remember how great it was to have (and enjoy) a cup of tea for the first time.... Almost as good as seeing my beautiful daughter . You are all heroines! Good luck and I hope you all feel better soon.

Tay totally agree with plastic, ondansetron gave me my life back, but do something about the constipation as soon as you have an inkling that you have it, it can get really bad, I lived on fybogel to hold it at bay. For me it completely stopped the vomiting and I was still nauseous, but I could eat and drink and keep it all down. I had it from 8 weeks and by 18 I could have a semi normal life as long as I got lots of rest, then I kept taking it till birth because stopping (I tried 3 times) always caused a relapse. Hope it keeps on working for you.

Been lurking for a while but decided to drop in now I've been prescribed cyclizine I feel a little bit less of a fraud about feeling terrible. I've not been diagnosed with hyperemesis but so much of what you've been saying resonates. Horrific is the word I've found which most closely describes how I feel. And no ginger won't make me feel less horrific! Been nauseous all day every day since 5wks throwing up every other day on average but wanting to be sick a whole lot more. Biggest problem has been drinking enough/anything. While eating little and often has helped a bit, the thought of drinking anything makes me nauseous in itself. So asked for the cyclizine when I realised my second wee of the day (TMI?) was only coming at 6.30pm at night . Was reading all these stories of pregnant women needing the loo every 5 minutes and realised I could go for almost 12 hours without going. Doc asked for urine sample at 5pm and I couldn't fill a pot. Turns out I may have a UTI which is hardly surprising! Doc also was convinced I was having twins (because of my sickness) despite me assuring her there was only one baby on the scan. Then she suggested ginger... 16wks tomorrow and people say "it should go away at 16wks" but they're the same who said "it should have gone away after 12wks". They're also the same as those who suggest ginger, say "oh I felt a bit rubbish for a few days with dc so I know how you feel" and schedule 9am meetings when they know you feel rotten...

Advice from those who've been through this and got out the other end: people keep saying "you must be so excited!" and I think "er not really. Once I stop throwing up I might". So, when can I expect to feel excited?

Calamity Welcome, poor you, most people find a big improvement some time between sixteen and twenty weeks, it's only the unlucky few who suffer throughout and even less suffer as badly throughout as they did in the first tri. Hopefully you might start glowing soon. UTI's are horrible. How are the liquids stayhing down with meds? The silly advice is maddening, I know, and you shouldnt be forcing yourself into work if you are really suffering, will the GP give a sick note for a while?
Miss Tiggy Thanks so much for the lovely encouraging message; you obviously suffered horribly throughout, and its always so nice to hear how happy woman are with their babies after all the misery.
MOH Fyogel is so sickeningly slimy that you were very brave, and desperate, of course.
Tay Plastic Wannabe Kali Goldie and Everyone I hope you are all coping?
Luicnda
xx

Hello everyone

moh and plastic thanks for the info re the ondansetron - I am beginning to see what you mean :-( been on the prunes and prune juice all day so will hopefully ease things - can't face going back the docs (45 min drive across city ugh). Any other magic solutions you know of would be great. Have stopped taking my supplement temporarily as its got iron and I know that makes it worse. It is really working on the sickness though - really only been throwing up first thing which is almost inevitable I think and not too unpleasant with nothing in the tummy anyway.

Agree with others about the encouragement - means a lot. mrstiggywinkle I CANNOT wait to enjoy a cup of tea again. That would be lovely.

calamityj don't feel fraudulent i think that hyperemesis is pretty much a continuum anyway - I'm pretty sure one of the big markers for hyperemesis or HG is losing 5-10% of your bodyweight which I bet most on here will know is not hard at all. I struggle with the excitement too - people say oh congratulations and I feel like I have to explain why I don't look that chuffed. Just have to keep telling ourselves it will all be worth it in the end. Ironically I think I did start feeling better 16-20weeks with DD1. Quietly hoping for same again this time. Those who have to cope with it all the way through deserve medals along with their beautiful babies!